Plant Guide

Other Names:  Red Buttons Fountain Grass, Pennisetum messiacum

Description:

A fine textured fountain grass suitable for smaller areas; bright green foliage with burgundy highlights; blooms are bunny tail shaped, deep red plumes that persist until winter; beautiful as an accent or massed in borders or rock garden

Ornamental Features

Red Bunny Tails Fountain Grass has masses of beautiful plumes of dark red flowers with brown overtones rising above the foliage from late spring to late summer, which are most effective when planted in groupings. Its grassy leaves are green in colour with prominent burgundy tips. As an added bonus, the foliage turns a gorgeous coppery-bronze in the fall.

Landscape Attributes

Red Bunny Tails Fountain Grass is an herbaceous annual with a shapely form and gracefully arching foliage. It brings an extremely fine and delicate texture to the garden composition and should be used to full effect.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Red Bunny Tails Fountain Grass is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Red Bunny Tails Fountain Grass will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches. Although it's not a true annual, this plant can be expected to behave as an annual in our climate if left outdoors over the winter, usually needing replacement the following year. As such, gardeners should take into consideration that it will perform differently than it would in its native habitat.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist growing conditions, but will not tolerate any standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. It is not particular as to soil type or pH, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is not originally from North America. It can be propagated by division.

Red Bunny Tails Fountain Grass is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It can be used either as 'filler' or as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, depending on the height and form of the other plants used in the container planting. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.